Yes, you read it correctly! Today we are launching a new service on Frihost: FriHouse which will provide you with a free house in exchange for coins.

The free house is already connected to the water supply and has good air conditioning:

It comes with free toilet paper that was given great reviews about its quality:

The FriHouse service will cost 100 Coins per month and you can apply for it on your Account page.

deanhills

I'm considering it .....
1. Where is it situated, Belgium?
2. Does it come with a Visa, or is that extra?
3. Can we get access to the review on the toilet paper?

Ahhhh almost forgot ..... it's April Fool's Day .... Darn! I so much wanted to move to Belgium.

spinout

hehe, the standard is just like I could imagine!

If I were a wolf this would be preferrable for pigs to buy! huff and puff!

Helios

Do Moderators get a 2 apartment house?

saratdear

I actually went to my account page to check whether you would have put up a link which said April Fools.

creativosred

Wow, I'd be interested in buying a ... have a garage?

loyal

This accomodation is a student's dream!

silverdown

lol I just woke up and was like wah... now after the 15th time reading and 2 cups of caffine (soda) i get it lol

PGe-tips

No LOL as I look at it. First of all I don't think the guy trying to survive in this is a member of frihost and secondly, more people then you think really have to live in something like this.... be happy with what you've got and share as much as possible that you can.
Anyway it mak you wonder ...

darkeagle

I can't find it in my account page Is it caused by my low coins? So I need 22 more coins. Is there anyone to give me a little debt?

Navigator

Haha good one!

This got me thinking, how about FriBundle or FriApps, software to be added to cpanel, or packs for developers or designers (IDE's, templates, tools, icons, cool scripts or flash apps), or a pack of apps for iphone or android phones!

standready

Very cool, Bondings. I am looking for one with high ceilings and low floors plus a little room to stretch out and in a warmer climate. Will that cost extra?

ocalhoun

I was going to get one, but then I couldn't find where to get it on the account page...

No... seriously, I want one. ^.^

Nameless

I am now genuinely disappointed that there is no option to actually trade in 100 coins for a free roll of toilet paper, because, I swear it would almost be worth spamming that many posts just for the novelty value of it. I would have framed that free toilet paper, Bondings. But then you went and broke my heart.

iyepes

This is so evident for April fool's day, I felt in google's frame, they "offered" a service of giving e-mail commands using your webcam and your body..... I really applied for the Beta, ha, ha, ha.

Asap170

Yes! Finally Frihost realized that the world is going to end in 2012 and now I can have somewhere to live when whatever happens in December of 2012!!! Thank you Bondings!

k_s_baskar

mmm. this thread started on 1st APRIL.

missdixy

Hahaha. I might need one of these after I graduate in June if I don't find a job

ankitdatashn

Nice try but I checked on 2nd April, no April Fool's Day for me!!

captainsuperdude

spend some time hanging around the homeless... It CAN be good for the soul.

Especially if, you're, y'know, coming into some kind of inherited money and power.

I dunno, it's not like the downtown library is some kind of restricted zone that families steer clear of.

ocalhoun

Should I put my frihouse on a boat and have a frihouseboat, or should I put it in the back of the truck, and have a frimotorhome?

So many decisions...

Oh! I could bury it, and have a fribunker!

deanhills

ocalhoun wrote:

Oh! I could bury it, and have a fribunker!

This one I like ..... Reminds me of the ones we tried to build when we were kids. Guess those were good times when we enjoyed playing with mud and sand.

jmlworld

Was this a limited time offer? I went to my accounts page to check it out and I'm disappointed that someone removed it

Or is it because, only people with coins can see it?

Poor April.

Asap170

majdi-abdelmoula wrote:

Hello

I am note sure, but what in the world does that have to do with this?

Bluedoll

hello there to the man in the box

mk12327

Haha... I know it's rather late that I post only now, but well, it is better late than never... =P

Is the man in the picture included as part of the package? I would love to get a house that comes with a steward! =P

jmlworld

mk12327 wrote:

Haha... I know it's rather late that I post only now, but well, it is better late than never... =P

Is the man in the picture included as part of the package? I would love to get a house that comes with a steward! =P

Something inside me says that the guy is not part of the package. He's the main construction engineer of FriHouse project.

krish143

very funny, nice posting is this.

cybersa

House OK.
But color is trouble for me.
Please modify it.
Surely i will buy it for 150 coins.

chasbeen

Yes well it does not look very waterproof does it.
A thatched roof would be much better.
Not that I'm moaning but I do want value for money.

deanhills

chasbeen wrote:

Yes well it does not look very waterproof does it.
A thatched roof would be much better.
Not that I'm moaning but I do want value for money.

I think we are really talking about the bottom end of the property
Market now.
I'm hoping you all do have real houses and are not getting excited about living in cardboard boxes and giant hollow beach pebbles you can stick your head through!

deanhills

chasbeen wrote:

I'm hoping you all do have real houses and are not getting excited about living in cardboard boxes and giant hollow beach pebbles you can stick your head through!

I rather like the giant hollow beach pebbles home. I can visualize that camouflages somewhere in the woods in Stanley Park in Vancouver. That's for the days maybe in my future when I have to get myself a shopping trolley as well. In the morning I can go round negotiating for some muffins and coffee and maybe some fruit and vegetables from the markets for surviving for the rest of the day, and by night go sleep with the birds of the forest. In the morning I can go for a swim, just to get clean, although probably after a while, one gets used to smelling differently.

chasbeen

I'm sorry Dh but I advise steering clear of any decisions to do with high finance.
You should perhaps steer clear of property deals in particular

Not that I'm anyone to give advice Tee Hee,,,

metalfreek

Had it been a fireproof house than I would have started collecting the coins.

deanhills

Chasbeen .... how about a shipping container? Looks as though it has an endless list of possibilities. Perhaps it is fireproof as well Metalfreek?

chasbeen

Yes there is a lot more room in a container but still limited. However these can be dumped anywhere.
So you could dump it anywhere.
You could leave it on a beech and be by the seaside or you could dump it in a really posh area and sell at a profit.

ocalhoun

chasbeen wrote:

dump it in a really posh area and sell at a profit.

I'm not sure that you've thought your cunning plan all the way through...

peace2011

I hope its not a April Fool initiative. Lol

goutha

I love small houses. Not sure if the concept of free house is realistic. But I like the idea of small houses that contains everything.

deanhills

goutha wrote:

I love small houses. Not sure if the concept of free house is realistic. But I like the idea of small houses that contains everything.

I was wondering what this was all about since I am seeing it a month or more after the post making it even better. Had I seen this on April 1st I would have expected April Fools but not in May.

I thought Bondings had a house(or part of a house) he wasn't using for awhile or something, seemed really odd.

gphoenix

i will buy you to Frihouses will you give me your appartment/house

mahirh

ocalhoun wrote:

deanhills wrote:

Talking about small houses, how about a tree house?

Nah, if I make a small house, I'll go with something time-proven:

Both are portable, cheap, relatively easy to make, and have successfully housed people for thousands of years.

you should have hosted it somewhere else from tripod -

ocalhoun

mahirh wrote:

you should have hosted it somewhere else from tripod

I didn't host it; it's shamelessly hotlinked.

Seems to work fine... what's wrong?

saratdear

ocalhoun wrote:

Seems to work fine... what's wrong?

Nothing, if you meant to post only one image. I can see a tiny image above the house saying "Image hosted by Tripod"

ocalhoun

saratdear wrote:

ocalhoun wrote:

Seems to work fine... what's wrong?

Nothing, if you meant to post only one image. I can see a tiny image above the house saying "Image hosted by Tripod"

Huh... shows up fine for me...
Oh well. *off to find a better image to hotlink*
There ya go.

deanhills

Now that is an awesome tent. Think they can do with some of those in Afghanistan. Plenty of homeless people over there ... I really like the front door. I guess there is no back door is there?

ocalhoun

deanhills wrote:

Now that is an awesome tent.

It's a yurt.
Not quite a tent, really, but still easy to make and portable... yet somewhat more permanent and durable than a tent.
Especially more durable and permanent in the modern version called a ger.
They're from Mongolia, have been used there for thousands of years, and are still very much in use today... I'm actually considering building one to live in; they're cheaper than a normal house, yet more energy efficient, and they last just as long as modern houses do. And they can be packed up and carried away in the back of a pickup truck. (or a couple horses, if you want to do it the traditional Mongolian way ^.^)

--In case you haven't noticed, I've actually gained a LOT of respect for the Mongolians lately...
Did you know that they hunt wolves -- on horseback -- with eagles?

Quote:

Think they can do with some of those in Afghanistan. Plenty of homeless people over there

They actually could use them there... Built the traditional way, they would actually be well suited for Afghanistan and could be built with mostly local materials; the walls and roof are traditionally made of felts that are produced by pressing wool together. And, of course, they're well suited to a nomadic herding lifestyle, so even the nomads could use them.

Quote:

... I really like the front door. I guess there is no back door is there?

Traditionally, no, no back door. They are more energy efficient (warmer) with as few breaks in the wall as possible.
There are modern designs of them that have multiple doors and windows just like any house though.

deanhills

Thanks for the diagram of the "tent", I can understand now why one can't call it a tent and that it is a yurt. I will try and remember the name. Where I am in the UAE it is also "tent" country, an amazing variety of designs and some of them really sturdy as well and used as semi-permanent accommodation attached to homes. I haven't seen yurts around here however, so could be a marketing opportunity?

ocalhoun wrote:

Did you know that they hunt wolves -- on horseback -- with eagles?

No this is completely new to me, but it does sound just up Ocalhoun's street. How much more perfect can it get then that? I guess they then don't use guns? So there has to be a bond between horse, rider and eagle? A hunting trinity?

ocalhoun

deanhills wrote:

I guess they then don't use guns? So there has to be a bond between horse, rider and eagle? A hunting trinity?

Yep, no guns, just awesome cooperation between three very different species.

deanhills

ocalhoun wrote:

Yep, no guns, just awesome cooperation between three very different species.

Wow! Amazing show. Haven't seen anything like that before. Is it a horse however as to me it looks more like a mule? Of the three the eagle is the most magnificent to me. The hat is awesome. Never seen a pet eagle before, a pet hawk yes, but a pet eagle truly amazing

spring567

Free house?

IceCreamTruck

Insanity wrote:

Still beats my house! I'll take it once I get 100 coins. Time to quit my job and start posting everyday on FriHost.

Live off frihost and the goodness from the ether!

ocalhoun

IceCreamTruck wrote:

Insanity wrote:

Still beats my house! I'll take it once I get 100 coins. Time to quit my job and start posting everyday on FriHost.

Live off frihost and the goodness from the ether!

^.^ I have thought about trying the breatharian way...
It would be kinda cool.

deanhills wrote:

Is it a horse however as to me it looks more like a mule?

No it's a horse, and technically still a horse although they come only in pony size.
They're the Mongolian horse breed; small, short-legged, large head, almost always gray/brown colored, extremely hardy, very low maintenance, and they have superb endurance... from what I've heard, a good Mongolian horse can go 20 to 30 miles at a full gallop -- over the steppes, not just on a flat track!

Quote:

Of the three the eagle is the most magnificent to me. The hat is awesome. Never seen a pet eagle before, a pet hawk yes, but a pet eagle truly amazing

They are awesome. It's truly amazing when you get a sense of just how huge those birds are, and yet their handlers (and the horses!) are very comfortable with them... They could do a LOT of damage, and birds of prey aren't known for being gentle or loyal*... yet they seem to get along just fine.

*From what I've heard from falconers and hawk-keepers, the very best relationship you can hope to have with a raptor is "it doesn't try to hurt me, and we respect each other"... that if you want any kind of love or loyalty from them, you're going to be disappointed; they just don't do that.
(And even the tamest bird of prey might still take an occasional swipe at its handler -- that's why you'll never see them perched on the shoulder! Handlers don't want to lose an eye! ... And considering that is one of the reasons I'm so impressed by these people using huge eagles.

IceCreamTruck

I used to keep two hawks... one on each shoulder! Now I'm a blind breathairian, but I recently had a nice Hawk sandwich and I make a mean Hawk stew!

ocalhoun

IceCreamTruck wrote:

Now I'm a blind breathairian, but I recently had a nice Hawk sandwich and I make a mean Hawk stew!

I became a Breathairian after I had an unfortunate accident as a Hawk trainer who was stupid enough to try to teach a pair of Hawks to sit on my shoulder and speak like parrots. They got upset and pecked my eyes out, so I ate them for dinner.

Now that I'm Breathairian the fasting can begin! I'm worried this might be just as stupid as training Hawks to speak, but you only live once -- right? And I can't go blind from it! rofl

LOL ... </sarcasm></sarcasm></sarcasm>

deanhills

ocalhoun wrote:

*From what I've heard from falconers and hawk-keepers, the very best relationship you can hope to have with a raptor is "it doesn't try to hurt me, and we respect each other"... that if you want any kind of love or loyalty from them, you're going to be disappointed; they just don't do that.
(And even the tamest bird of prey might still take an occasional swipe at its handler -- that's why you'll never see them perched on the shoulder! Handlers don't want to lose an eye! ... And considering that is one of the reasons I'm so impressed by these people using huge eagles.

It's definitely the case in the UAE. Where I am there are plenty of falconers and hawk-keepers. When I was on a birding trip we saw a revolting sight where locals had half-killed an avocet to feed it to their falcons. Thing is, they had not completely killed it, it was still struggling. I tell you, there are some really cruel people in the world.

This is what the avocet looks like .... they're beautiful birds. But apparently falcon/hawk bait around here.

IceCreamTruck

I too used to feel an overwhelming amount of sympathy when I saw any animal struggle, or when I watched a predator take down it's prey, but then I realized that this was once again people having shared inaccurate descriptions of what is right and what is wrong with me over the years, and in ironing out who I am as an adult I have noticed the brutality of nature, and I feel I flow with that a little more naturally.

Focus on a couple points here to ease your pain, Dean. A birds actual life is really hard. The specimen you pictured is indeed a beautiful specimen, and I don't place value on one species over another except where it's obvious there is an abundance/pest levels of one and the other needs help to not become extinct. This bird, although beautiful to look at, lives a very hard life in comparison to some creatures, as in it has to fight for food, compete for a mate, defend it's young, fight off disease without hope of hospital care, and one could take it a step further to say a good deal of it's existence is suffering if you turn your sensitivity way up. Avocet may think alpacas live the good life... we will never know!

The Hawk, or predatory bird, often suffers the most from humans simply because it's a larger target (used to mean more food, now it is just waste despite legal restriction), we affect it's food source, limit their wide open hunting grounds, and disturb their, often more delicate, nesting and mating requirements. The Hawk obviously doesn't like Popsicles or they would have fed the birds to them frozen, so them slightly struggling has to be the Hawk's requirement, not the handlers.

The bird might be on the Grim Reaper's list to get one of it's wings bit off by a baby alligator tomorrow from which it escapes and lays on a deserted island for a month before dying of exposure because it can't migrate -- who knows? With the Hawk it's over "relatively" quickly.

Even if they suffer for twenty minutes you've probably saved them hours of suffering over the course of their actual life, so focus on what you can change about the situation, and if you can't cope with watching this go down day after day just like me, then we don't go and handle Hawks which would require us to make an animal suffer just to feed

* Edit * Micicles

deanhills

I don't like them killing the bird, but my problem is not so much with the killing as doing it swiftly and finally rather than doing it half and letting the poor bird suffer unnecessarily. Anyway, maybe it's a bit about mirroring human suffering on birds, as how do we know if the bird is suffering? Birds must feel things differently than we human being do, or not? Maybe Ankhanu can tell us?

IceCreamTruck

deanhills wrote:

I don't like them killing the bird, but my problem is not so much with the killing as doing it swiftly and finally rather than doing it half and letting the poor bird suffer unnecessarily. Anyway, maybe it's a bit about mirroring human suffering on birds, as how do we know if the bird is suffering? Birds must feel things differently?

I will tell you this... they can't take pain personally! Handlers live without fear of the "you killed my father" revenge aspect

ocalhoun

IceCreamTruck wrote:

Even if they suffer for twenty minutes you've probably saved them hours of suffering over the course of their actual life,

Now there's an interesting moral theory... one flaw though; it doesn't work unless you only consider suffering.

deanhills

IceCreamTruck wrote:

I will tell you this... they can't take pain personally! Handlers live without fear of the "you killed my father" revenge aspect

Right, except for those who are into karma who may believe the handler has picked up a few demerits with allowing the bird to suffer. Maybe he will be born the bird in his next life?

I must have picked up some huge demerits since coming to the UAE, as I really love killing flies, particularly since they are so cheeky here in the UAE. Man, these guys are relentless, they make straight for your ears, nostrils, eyes, and won't back down. They never give up and are 100% focused.

IceCreamTruck

deanhills wrote:

IceCreamTruck wrote:

I will tell you this... they can't take pain personally! Handlers live without fear of the "you killed my father" revenge aspect

Right, except for those who are into karma who may believe the handler has picked up a few demerits with allowing the bird to suffer. Maybe he will be born the bird in his next life?

I must have picked up some huge demerits since coming to the UAE, as I really love killing flies, particularly since they are so cheeky here in the UAE. Man, these guys are relentless, they make straight for your ears, nostrils, eyes, and won't back down. They never give up and are 100% focused.

Don't worry... all's fair in love and war! That's war, my friend!

deanhills

IceCreamTruck wrote:

Don't worry... all's fair in love and war! That's war, my friend!

Thanks that makes me feel much better when I take a swipe at the next fly over here. Looks as though Obama has it perfected, this must be one of his lesser known achievements?

This is a documentary of the show:

IceCreamTruck

He should have done this to OBL about 4 years ago -- SWAT! You little twerp!

This skill is way beyond Bush, or Bushy Wushy Jr, however.

deanhills

IceCreamTruck wrote:

He should have done this to OBL about 4 years ago -- SWAT! You little twerp!

This skill is way beyond Bush, or Bushy Wushy Jr, however.

Maybe he was waiting for the right moment?

IceCreamTruck

deanhills wrote:

IceCreamTruck wrote:

He should have done this to OBL about 4 years ago -- SWAT! You little twerp!

This skill is way beyond Bush, or Bushy Wushy Jr, however.

Maybe he was waiting for the right moment?

Have to make sure he's home before we knock the door down!

deanhills

IceCreamTruck wrote:

deanhills wrote:

IceCreamTruck wrote:

He should have done this to OBL about 4 years ago -- SWAT! You little twerp!

This skill is way beyond Bush, or Bushy Wushy Jr, however.

Maybe he was waiting for the right moment?

Have to make sure he's home before we knock the door down!

Right, maybe we can Google it .....

IceCreamTruck

deanhills wrote:

IceCreamTruck wrote:

deanhills wrote:

IceCreamTruck wrote:

He should have done this to OBL about 4 years ago -- SWAT! You little twerp!

This skill is way beyond Bush, or Bushy Wushy Jr, however.

Maybe he was waiting for the right moment?

Have to make sure he's home before we knock the door down!

Right, maybe we can Google it .....

OBL just checked in at the local grocery store "Allah Foodway". ... Obama and his security staff were following OBL on twitter shortly before they took him down! We were just waiting for him to check in at home, and then we got him!

deanhills

IceCreamTruck wrote:

deanhills wrote:

IceCreamTruck wrote:

deanhills wrote:

IceCreamTruck wrote:

He should have done this to OBL about 4 years ago -- SWAT! You little twerp!

This skill is way beyond Bush, or Bushy Wushy Jr, however.

Maybe he was waiting for the right moment?

Have to make sure he's home before we knock the door down!

Right, maybe we can Google it .....

OBL just checked in at the local grocery store "Allah Foodway". ... Obama and his security staff were following OBL on twitter shortly before they took him down! We were just waiting for him to check in at home, and then we got him!

OBL or Obama?

IceCreamTruck

deanhills wrote:

IceCreamTruck wrote:

deanhills wrote:

IceCreamTruck wrote:

deanhills wrote:

IceCreamTruck wrote:

He should have done this to OBL about 4 years ago -- SWAT! You little twerp!

This skill is way beyond Bush, or Bushy Wushy Jr, however.

Maybe he was waiting for the right moment?

Have to make sure he's home before we knock the door down!

Right, maybe we can Google it .....

OBL just checked in at the local grocery store "Allah Foodway". ... Obama and his security staff were following OBL on twitter shortly before they took him down! We were just waiting for him to check in at home, and then we got him!

The best part is when you jokingly look in the mail box knowing that there will be no bills in it! I would check the mail every morning and laugh because it's empty!

You could still get email if you have wifi or satellite. You would have to aim the dishes every time you moved though, which would be often.

mahirh

IceCreamTruck wrote:

You could still get email if you have wifi or satellite. You would have to aim the dishes every time you moved though, which would be often.

If you havent heard yet, satellite internet is pretty much like dialup. Painfully slow. Rare. Costs a fortune and sh#tty data caps.

IceCreamTruck

mahirh wrote:

IceCreamTruck wrote:

You could still get email if you have wifi or satellite. You would have to aim the dishes every time you moved though, which would be often.

If you havent heard yet, satellite internet is pretty much like dialup. Painfully slow. Rare. Costs a fortune and sh#tty data caps.

And it's still the only way to get internet in some remote places. Latency is bad, but the bandwidth can vary. Dialup is slow because the bandwidth is narrow, so they are not slow for the same reasons. Probably not a good idea to play online games over satellite, as you'd be several seconds if not minutes behind everyone else in the game.

I would imagine the data rates and charges reflect the fact that the signal is coming from and going to space! Kind of expensive to get equipment up there, and maintenance is a pain in the butt.

I'd probably have a wifi antenna on top of the house. I'd make it so I could swivel it around, and I'd use whatever is available on the air-waves. I used to be a tower tech for a wifi company, so I'm not really ever that far away from a connection I can use to get online.